Two thirds of Brits crippled by mobile phone loss terror

Nomophobic neighbourhoods

Nomophobia is on the rise in the UK, with 66 per cent of the population suffering from a fear of being without their mobile phones.

The condition, which takes its name from an abbreviation of "no-mobile-phone phobia", refers to the anxiety felt when batteries die or blowers go missing.

The number of sufferers has risen from 53 per cent in 2008 to the current two thirds mark, according to a recent survey from SecurEnvoy.

The security firm asked 1000 people about their mobile phone habits, 1163 participants fewer than the 4-year-old YouGov survey, but we won't judge the scientific accuracy here.

Turns out, women are now most worried about losing their phones, with 70 per cent labelled nomophobic compared to 61 per cent of blokes. You really can't survive without that bulge in your pocket can you?

41 per cent even said they had two phones in a bid to stay more connected.

The number of mobile users is perpetually on the rise - it was recently reported that half the UK population now owns a smartphone. Therefore, with more of our everyday tasks ported to high-tech blowers, the rise of nomophobia is perhaps unsurprising. ®